WASHINGTON (Yonhap) ― North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s prolonged absence from public view could be an attempt by Pyongyang to grab international attention at a time when the United States is focused on other priorities, a former U.S. diplomat said.

“North Korea’s not received much international attention over the past few months because of everything going on in the world, Crimea, Ukraine, ISIL,” said Mark Tokola, a former deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul said in an interview Friday with Yonhap News Agency.

“In the past, there has been a pattern where the North Koreans seem to like to receive all the attention. Maybe this is one way to do it without being very provocative. There’s not a nuclear test, there’s not a missile test,” he said.

Kim has not been seen in public for more than a month, including Friday’s national events marking the founding of the North’s Workers’ Party, spurring speculation and rumors ranging from health problems to a military coup.

The White House has since dismissed rumors of a coup as “false.” But questions still abound over the whereabouts of the reclusive nation’s leader and the status of his grip on power.

Tokola, who served as the No. 2 U.S. diplomat in Seoul from 2009-2012, said he believes the North’s leader is still “very much in charge.”

“There’s a lot of focus that Kim Jong-un has not been seen since September. The press are very focused on that. I think most of the experts are not too alarmed by that yet,” he said. “For the public, it seems like a very worrisome issue, but people who have worked on (North) Korea for a long time have seen leaders absent in the past. That’s happened.”

Tokola has recently retired after 38 years of experience in foreign service that also included assignments as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassies in Mongolia and Iceland. Last week, he took office as vice president of the Washington-based think tank Korea Economic Institute of America.

Referring to Pyongyang’s recent concilatory gestures toward Seoul, Tokola said the North has in the past used charm offensives in order to win concessions. But still, he also stressed that it is not a good idea to dismiss an opportunity to improve relations just because of past experiences.

“If there is a possibility of making progress, the possibility should be seized. Also important to realize you need actions more than words,” he said. “You shouldn’t assume something’s not sincere. You have to give some credit for sincerity to see if there is an opening or not.”

Earlier this month, the North had sent a group of three top officials to the South in a surprise trip that raised hopes for a breakthrough in their ties. But the conciliatory mood was quickly dampened by exchanges of gunfire near their sea and land borders last week.

Tokola said the U.S. government supports improvements in inter-Korean relations, but also important is denuclearization of the North. He stressed that the two objectives are not incompatible.

“I don’t think there is any difference between Seoul and Washington about the need to make denclearization the highest priority, but you can do that and still have improvements in relations through specific steps.”